Civil War Washington

CASE 338.—Private H. H. Coombs, Co. D, 6th Maine, aged 22 years, was wounded at Fredericksburg, May 3, 1863, and entered Douglas Hospital, Washington, five days afterwards. Assistant Surgeon W. Thomson, U. S. A., reported: "He was struck by a bullet on the outer side of the right thigh. The missile was extracted from below the crest of the ilium on May 14th, the operation demanding a very extensive incision, which was kept freely open to permit the discharge to escape. The femur had been denuded of its periosteum for several inches, the ball evidently having been deflected upward after impinging upon that bone. This man recovered, and was transferred to Lovell Hospital, Portsmouth Grove, July 3d." The patient subsequently entered Cony Hospital, Augusta, Maine, whence he was returned to duty October 24, 1864. On June 28, 1865, he was mustered out of service, and subsequently he was admitted on the Pension Roll. The Bangor Examining Board, October 4, 1873, certified to the injury, and adds: "The scar is three inches long, and deep, permitting the finger to pass through the fascia and feel roughened bone. Slight lameness results." Examiner C. Fuller, of Lincoln, Maine, reported, October 20, 1877: "The cicatrix is now so depressed that the little finger can be laid in it, and the bone below is a little hollowed, the parts around being very tender on pressure. A disagreeable pricking sensation is also produced there on percussion at the bottom of the heel." The pensioner was paid December 4, 1878. The extracted missile, a conical ball, was contributed to the Museum by Assistant Surgeon W. Thomson, and constitutes Specimen 4277 of the Surgical Section.